-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 60 people have died in the Libyan capital after drinking locally made alcohol , the Ministry of Health says , and the National Security Directorate of Tripoli said Tuesday it is launching an investigation .

According to the Libyan News Agency , there were 709 other cases of alcohol poisoning .

Alcohol sale and consumption is prohibited in Libya , a conservative Muslim nation , but smuggled alcoholic drinks can be found , in addition to homemade alcohol locally known as `` bokha . ''

The National Security Directorate said this large-scale poisoning was caused by such locally made alcohol .

A medical source in Tripoli who has seen some of the patients told CNN their symptoms indicated methanol poisoning . Methanol overdose symptoms include breathing problems , blindness , comas , seizures and death .

Officials say the first case was reported in the capital on Thursday , and over the following days Tripoli Central Hospital received a large number of people showing signs of alcohol poisoning . Some cases had to be transferred to other hospitals .

Those affected ranged in age from 16 to 55 , the head of the internal medicine department at the hospital , Dr. Massoud al-Azzabi , told the state news agency on Monday . Some lost their eyesight , and some of the others were put on dialysis machines or respirators , he said .

In a statement released Tuesday , the Tripoli National Security Directorate announced the formation of a committee of five officers to oversee the investigation into the alcohol poisoning , which some reports call the worst ever in Libya .

The directorate said police stations in the city have started to record the cases and the Criminal Investigations unit is investigating .

A security task force that includes a number of security and revolutionary forces has been formed and is ready to raid suspected bootlegger hideouts upon orders from the government , according to the state news agency .

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More than 700 cases of alcohol poisoning have been reported , Libyan News Agency reports

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Alcohol consumption is banned in Libya , but alcoholic drinks can be found

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Locally made alcohol is behind this case , the National Security Directorate says